tennessee Archives - lseband.org

Darius Rucker is set to launch the next era of his career as he prepares to release his next album, Carolyn’s Boy. However, he took a moment to look back before he kicked off this next album cycle. Rucker was the guest of honor at The Electric Jane in Nashville on Oct. 26 in celebration of his cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” reaching Diamond status — making it only the fourth country song to reach that milestone. The event, which was attended by Today’s Craig Melvin and music industry figures, was also meant to mark his 10 No. 1 songs (not counting his work with Hootie & the Blowfish).

In the spirit of this momentous occasion, we asked Rucker to reflect on the start of his solo career and the trepidation that came with entering the country genre. In the media roundtable before the bash, Rucker, 56, told PopCulture that his successful solo career was kickstarted by the hustling he did around the release of his debut solo single, 2008’s “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.”

“I look back on that period as the example of hard work paid off,” Rucker said. “I came to Nashville and Duncan signed me at Capitol, and we really didn’t know what was going to happen. He promised me a shot, he told me if I gave him a country record, he’d give me a shot. And when we put out ‘Don’t Think’ and went around the radio stations, really the naysayers were the leaders. And I got it; there was really no reason for us to expect success. Even if we had written (Patsy Cline’s) ‘Crazy,’ there’s no reason to expect success. But going out to the radio stations and working hard and going around and doing all the things and being the baby band on Dierks (Bentley) and Brad (Paisley)’s tour and stuff like that, that hard work is what paid off. And so now I look back, and I’m glad that I have my work ethic, and I’m glad that I don’t mind taking chances. Because if I hadn’t had those two things, I wouldn’t be sitting there talking to you guys.”

(Photo: Steve Lowry / Essential Broadcast Media)

While Rucker’s worked hard to get to this point, he noted elsewhere in the conversation that he’s comfortable enough to slow down a bit. While he’s just as dedicated to music as ever, he’s learned to appreciate his time away from work more in recent years.

“I didn’t always give myself time to enjoy it (life),” Rucker said. “It was always work, work, work, work, work. And (if) you’re not working, concentrating on family. But now I’ve learned to say ‘no,’ which was really big for me, learning to say ‘no.’ And I love it. I love writing songs, I love all of it, but I’m at a really cool place in my career where I’m not chasing it anymore. It’s either going to be there or it’s not, now, for me. So I love it. I still love doing it more than anything in the world, but I also love my time off a lot now, too.”

Rucker will release Carolyn’s Boy at an undisclosed date in 2023. Rucker has released two singles ahead of the album, “Same Beer Different Problem” and the Chapel Hart collaboration “Ol’ Church Hymn.”

Source link

Nebraska woman Darcia Ann will have her lifelong dream come true this month with the release of her country music album.

Darcia Ann, who grew up in the Nebraska Sandhills, has lived all over the state and resides in and has family in the Northeast Nebraska area. She’s had a 30-year career in the music industry.

“I had always just wanted to sing since I was really little,” Darcia Ann said. “I got my first guitar, real guitar I should say, at 9 and I started singing right away for the Ainsworth country music festival.”

Darcia Ann, who’s in the Nebraska and Colorado halls of fame, has opened for quite a few famous acts in the early days of her career, including Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Patty Loveless, Neal McCoy and Lonestar.

Approximately nine weeks ago, Darcia Ann had been visiting Nashville, Tennessee, when she got her big break.

“I went to Nashville to be with my friends and we went to a local place. I got up and sang and jam with the band and he [a music producer at Red Ridge Entertainment] was filling in for a man that was sick,” Darcia Ann said.

Since then, it’s been a whirlwind and Darcia Ann recently recorded her album. She said she recorded at Studio 19 in Nashville and musicians that played with her on the album have played for such artists as Tim McGraw, Wynonna, Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton and other well-known names.

Darcia Ann said her album, which consists of six songs, can be described as a combination of country ballad and classic rock. The name of the album has yet to be officially decided, but she said it will most likely be titled “Cowboy Up.” Some of the tunes are what she called “good two-steppin’ country” songs.

Notably, some of the songs have nods to Nebraska.

“One of the songs is called ‘Mama’s Mockingbird’ and it actually talks about the Nebraska Sandhills,” Darcia Ann said.

The song is also a tribute to her mother, who has passed away.

“In my world of music I always hear her voice saying ‘sing, fly baby fly. Just go sing for me, fly baby fly.’ And that’s what I put in my mockingbird song, just fly baby fly,” she said.

Another song is what she calls a homage to the rodeo community.

The album is set to be released in October.

“It is now being mixed and mastered in Nashville as we speak. And hopefully it will be ready for downloads to all the [platforms] Spotify, Pandora, by Halloween,” Darcia Ann said.

With her album soon coming out, Darcia Ann is opening for T Graham Brown. She will also be performing a concert in November in Nashville that will also be streamed.

“I’ve had such good support from friends and family and people that I’ve known around here for years and years,” Darcia Ann said.

Max Davis is a close friend of Darcia Ann’s. He said his wife, Margaret, and Darcia Ann were childhood friends. Davis noted that Darcia Ann is talented.

“She’s been really putting her heart and soul into this music thing. And we are proud of her and we support her,” Davis said.

“We’re ecstatic. This is a big deal for her.”

Top Journal Star photos for October

The basketball courts at Antelope Park went from gray to filled with color this fall. The project to resurface the courts at Normal Boulevard and South Street and repaint them as a reproduction of the painting “Red Sea” by African American artist Felrath Hines was funded by private donations. The original painting is part of the permanent collection of the Sheldon Museum of Art.

KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star